“On October 3, 1993, U.S. Special Operations Forces from Task Force Ranger operating in Mogadishu, Somalia launched a daytime mission into the Bakaara Market to capture high-priority targets loyal to war criminal Mohammed Farrah Aidid. The raid, meant to last no longer than one hour, quickly shifted when armed Somalia militia, armed with assault weapons and RPG’s, managed to shoot down multiple UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. As the numbers of armed Somalis quickly increased into the tens of thousands, U.S. Rangers and Special Operators, heroically attempting to defend both crash sites, quickly found themselves pinned down and surrounded in a 19-hour standoff that lasted throughout the night. Ultimately, 18 U.S. soldiers were lost in the most intense combat firefight since the Vietnam War. Now, 20 years later, Jeff Struecker, a former Army Ranger from the battle and a key character in the film, returns to what is still considered the most dangerous place in the world, the lawless streets of Mogadishu, to relive the battle.”

My friend Mary Beth Minis produced this film. You must watch it. Most of you will remember the events that surround this story. Some of you are too young to connect that day to this one. But the message that arises out of the chaos of that day is one that goes way beyond the significance of this one.